Star Wars: Fall of an Empire
by TheJenkinsCurse
Summary: See the Galactic Civil War from another point of view, from the death of Uncle Owen to the Battle of Jakku, as seen from Heskill Arkou's eyes, a Stormtrooper defect. With friends in high places on both sides of the war, Heskill finds his way into almost every major conflict of the fight for the galaxy. Ties in with the book Star Wars: Lost Stars.
1. Jakku

If I didn't die from a blaster to my head, I'd surely die of heat stroke. The Empire was an idiot to stage an offensive attack on such an inhospitable world, where the only thing worth noting was how much sand there was. Jakku was by far my least favorite place in the galaxy, and the battle going on before me didn't raise my thoughts of this place either. The focus of the conflict wasn't even the soldiers fighting and dying; it was the Star Destroyers looming overhead, one by one either crashing into the hot dunes or flying away from the fight. Streaks of smoke diced the sky into uneven sections as ion blasts and torpedoes were sent from one spacecraft to the next. The poor Imperials were outnumbered 10 to 1 in the sky and a good 5 to 1 on the ground. Jakku would, without a doubt, be the Empire's last attack for a long time. Their casualties were just too much for them to sustain.

Endor was a major defeat for the Empire. Not only was the second Death Star destroyed, but the Emperor and Lord Vader were gone with it as well. It was estimated that at least 1/6th of the Empire was killed that day, including all the troops on the forest moon of Endor, the Death Star, and all the Star Destroyers that went down. But the Rebellion had lost a good portion, too. If it weren't for the shield being destroyed just in time, the entire rebellion would've been killed, and the Empire would still be standing tall. I was there, during the battle of both Death Stars. It was traumatizing the first time, being on the station, just barely making it off before it blew up. The second time though, I was with the rebellion, and nearly died that time as well. The fact I lived this long was a miracle.

And to think that just a few years ago, we were losing. Hell, a few years ago, I was winning with the Empire. And thank god I got the hint before things went south, and I went down serving the Empire. Dragging my eyes back down to the skirmish in front of me, I could tell we were pushing the Stormtroopers back with every blaster bolt we sent at them. Bringing my thoughts back to the battlefront, I raised the blaster rifle and joined in on the volley of fire that drove off the white-armored Imperials. A few Stormtroopers still fired back at us though, so it wasn't like we one yet. The heat I was experiencing gave me motivation to fight harder. The sooner this battle was done, the sooner I could return to a cozy life on Hosnian Prime.

And of course, my thoughts were taken away when a thermal detonator landed at my feet in the sand. The moment I realized what it was, I was knocked back into the dirt with sand flying up all around me. the world was muffled and the sky was hazy. Faint, distant yelling was the only thing I could hear above the ringing in my ears. Slowly lifting my head up, I could see the rebels around me. Their faces were unrecognizable at the moment. Two helped me back onto my feet and held me steady so I wouldn't fall over. I looked down and made sure I had all my body parts still in tact. Luckily I counted all limbs and appendages correctly, and nothing seemed to look too bad.

"Yeah! That's right, run you cowards!" I could hear someone say in the distance.

"Let's see how you like being on the run now!" Another said.

"We're going to hunt you down like the dogs you are!" Said another. These rebels had no respect for the Empire. Sure, they did horrible things, they worked hard all their life and barely had any enjoyment. They were violent and evil, all true aspects of the Empire. But the Stormtroopers, the grunts and lackeys of the Empire, they didn't deserve this. They were brainwashed, fed lies. This wasn't their fault. They all had families to come home to. Who cares if we let them escape? Maybe they deserve it, finally free of the Empire's grip. I felt empathy for them, because I knew what it was like to be a commoner in the Galactic Military. It was horrible, but unlike most of them, I was able to leave before it was too late. Most of these rebels hadn't fired a blaster in their lives before signing up in the Rebellion. They don't know what it's like to be the cannon fodder of an organization you didn't want any part of.

The Stormtroopers were all running now. Where did they expect to go? This planet had practically no life on it, and no one would dare help the Galactic Empire now. Damnation on a desert planet was a worse fate than a quick blaster to the head. So why run? Looking around, I could see all the sand-covered bodies of rebel and Imperial troops. They were everywhere, under debris, in plain sight, laying up against metal scrap that was once used as cover. Both of these factions, rebel and Imperial alike, had people I cared about. I still had good friends in the Empire when I defected. I made some new ones with the Rebellion. I didn't dare look at any of their faces in fear that they might be someone I had known.

It was eerily quiet now. Besides the few rebels that ran after the fleeing enemies, no more blaster fire could be heard. No more explosions. Just a few cheers from the rebels and the wind. And, very quietly, I could hear a faint beep. It was a loop, two beeps, pause, two beeps, pause. And it continued. The look from the other rebels confirmed I wasn't going insane. I walked with the others to try and search for what it was. I was on my own two feet again, searching frantically for the sound. The reason I was so desperate to find it? I recognized the sound; an escape pod.

After digging around in the dust for what seemed like an eternity, I finally saw the damn thing half way in the sand down in a dune. "Over here!" I called out, and soon a small party was on their way down to the crash. Bad news; it was an Imperial escape pod. Good news; someone I know could still be alive inside. Cracking open the pod, my men and I stood, blasters ready, as the door opened with a hiss. Inside was a man and a woman; the man with a rebel cloak, and the woman with Imperial Captain badges. I didn't recognize either of them, but I knew what my teammates were thinking, as well as the boy in the escape pod.

 _We just captured a high ranking officer of the Galactic Empire, knocked out cold and free for capturing._


	2. Mos Eisley

"This sector's clear, move on." The crackle of distorted commands came through my helmet, waking me from my day dreaming. looking through a Stormtrooper helmet was like trying to look through a sack on your head. Whoever designed such a non-functional piece of equipment should be blasted in a firing line. I've gotten used to it over the years, but it was still difficult to see out of. After a few blinks brought me back, I once more slumped as much as I could in the white armor. Once more, I was greeted with the ugly and desolate landscape of Tatooine, where nothing but sand and dust resided. How people could make a living out here, or why, I'd never know. Thank god I was only out here for a few more weeks, then I'd be done and over with hot, dry places for the rest of my life.

"Let's go Arkou, just got new orders from the top brass." Said another man standing tall in gleaming white armor. The deep, smooth voice and height meant he could only be one person: Pollix Veila, good friend, even better shot, and the best soldier I've ever known. He'd die a hundred times over for the Empire, something not many Stormtroopers would do. We were the cannon fodder for the Empire, sent to sit around and stop petty crimes when they arose. But Pollix didn't see it that way. He always believed that the Empire would be nothing without us grunts, which wasn't wrong. We should definitely be paid more for our services, keeping an entire galaxy wide organization standing tall.

I nod my head as best as I could and started moving through the sandy streets of Mos Eisley, a town that matches the crude and opaque world where it was settled on. Stepping with our feet in perfect synchronization, Pollix led our two-man march through the bustling city. Although his helmet and armor made Veila look large and buff, I knew underneath he was a scrawny kid. His dark hair and angled face made him seem more like an Imperial officer rather than a Stormtrooper. The blaster he held close to his torso made him out to be a cold giver of justice, ready to take out anyone who would plot against the mighty Empire. I held an exact replica of his, although mine was in a worse shape. I'd already been out in this damn heat for the entire day, not a single break, while Pollix only just strapped on his armor an hour ago, lucky kid.

Turning left through a winding alleyway, we pass a couple of Duros' who gave us odd glances with their piercing red eyes. Although they were quite common, I always though most species that weren't human looked quite odd. Never odd enough to objectify them, but enough to keep my distance. We brushed past the aliens and made our way out of the alleyway. There, we regrouped with another member of our company; Sebastian Buphi, an average Joe of the Galactic Empire. Never doing more than asked, he was truly the image of the real Empire lackeys. Although under the mask he was a hot-head with little remorse for anyone or anything, he was known to show odd acts of sympathy for lawbreakers. Not to be confused with not caring, he'd send almost anyone off with a warming, no matter the act.

"There you are Buphi, we're on our way to intercept a Jawa Sandcrawler not too far from here. Is the speeder in working order?" Pollix asked after halting in the sand. To this, Sebastian kicked the rust bucket beside him with a small laugh.

"As good as she'll get. If she falls apart mid-flight, it's not my fault."

"Noted, start her up and call back Marion and Horatio." Veila turned to face me. "Think we'll get to see some action today?"

"Probably not." I said with a sigh, leaning against one of the huts. "Been out here all day, it's been relatively quiet for the most part. And if its Jawas we're going after, then they probably just disassembled some Imperial machine that we need to get back. Did the Moff say anything about what we're looking for?"

"He said he'll keep us updated as we go along." The speeder revved to life and kicked up from the ground, spewing sand up. "Heskill, I want you driving." With a nod, I hop into the left side and wait for the others to climb in. The suits we wore made it difficult to get in easily, but eventually we were all in and on our way to the others location. We sped past multiple varieties of species and speeders, animals and machines. Mos Eisley was a place of trading and transport, where you could probably find anything you were looking for if you delved deep enough into its dark corners and alleyways.

"There they are." Sebastian said, pointing off into the distance where two white knights stood off the side of the road, speaking to a Rodian with an orange vest and a holstered blaster pistol on his side. An ugly thing, green with large black eyes and suction cup fingers that would gross anyone out. A bounty hunter for sure. We've had a few disputes with him in the past, but nothing major. We slowed to a stop but stayed in the vehicle, deciding it was best for the other two to handle it.

"-Just get moving, Greedo. I don't care who sent you, just go back to the cantina and see if he's there, that's where I saw him last. No more handouts. I don't owe you a thing anymore." To that, the Rodian made some clicks and gurgles and was on his way. The man who seemed so annoyed - Horatio Buphi, Sebastian's brother - had spent his early life as a space pirate, getting himself into all sorts of trouble before joining up with the Imperial legion after some bad favors turned sour. He always had a grimace plastered on his face, his dark skin contrasting with his armor. Horatio had his helmet off in his hand, which was strictly against regulation.

The man beside him, Marion, always worried, was the runt of the group. He hated conflict and confrontation, making him possibly one of the worst Stormtroopers of all time. He always had his blaster holstered. I don't think I've ever seen him actually fire it, something Sebastian and Horatio liked to pick on him for. Hopefully the rookie will learn to harden up in time, but it doesn't seem likely he'll change anytime soon.

"Let's go boys, saddle up." Pollix chimed with eagerness.

Turning his head to face the speeder, Horatio gave a small smile accompanied with a chuckle. "You mean we're not going to be patrolling for the twentieth day in a row?"

I decided to chime in and have a little fun. "Sorry Buphi, your job today's going to be watching the speeder while we have all the fun." Since I was second in command, right behind our squad leader Eekeb Khaar, I could actually make him watch the speeder. And Horatio knew it, too.

"Ha-Ha, very funny. Hurry up and get in." Horatio told Marion, who reluctantly got up into the speeder. Horatio always wanted to be on the end of the speeders in case he needed to jump out for some reason, thanks to his bounty hunting days where his ship was engulfed in flames, trapping him inside. Ever since, he's had a fear of being stuck inside a smoldering metal oven.

We began to speed off, with Sebastian leaning over to Horatio. "Y'know, having your helmet off is a huge violation of the Galactic-"

"Just shut up, Sebass." He sighed, throwing on his helmet with a grimace. Although this life was a boring one, I don't think I'd ever want to leave these wonderful, idiotic troopers, even if it meant straying away from the harsh Empire.


	3. Interrogation Methods

"Down there, that's gotta be our Sandcrawler." Pollix pointed down the slope of the dune to where a massive brown box slowly drifted across the hot sand. I was never really sure why they were such an odd shape; they narrowed near the top front of the box, making it look like it would tip over if it took a turn too sharp. And once one of those things tipped over, there was almost no way you could set it up right again. I took the speeder down into the crevice of the dunes, near a particularly large cliff. It almost seemed like the Sandcrawler was gliding along the rocks. Whoever was piloting it obviously needed some better driving lessons.

"Fly next to it." Veila ordered. "Horatio, hail them." Pollix handed over the radio transmitter connected to his backpack, switching it on in the process. As I got close to the Sandcrawler, I could hear the roar of the massive tracks the behemoth rode on, crunching away at the desert sand and rocks like a refiner. Horatio exhaled through his mic.

"Why me?" He said under his breath before sitting up and taking the microphone. "Ahem, in the name of the all mighty Galactic Empire, led by our fearless leader Emperor-" Horatio was hit in the gut by Sebastian.

"Just get on with it." He grunted.

"Fine, fine." Horatio turned into the mic once more. "Stop the vehicle and prepare to be boarded." He said, his voice echoing from the backpack throughout the hills and dunes. The Sandcrawler continued to crawl through the sand, and most of us exchanged looks with one another.

"Maybe they didn't hear you?" Marion suggested. Right after he spoke, the vehicle slowly crept to a halt in the dry heat. One of the ramps dropped down, and out came three Jawas, creepy little buggers in brown robes with glowing yellow eyes. Always stealing and selling things that aren't theirs. I never felt safe around them. When the five of us exited the speeder, I made sure to grip my blaster tightly. They were known for being able to swindle things right before your eyes. Masters at slight of hand.

"What does Moff want us to do now? Ask them if they've seen anyone suspicious?" I asked Sebastian, who simply shrugged his shoulders. One of the Jawas came right up to us and began berating us in a foreign language. I couldn't speak it, but luckily Marion knew what they were saying. He began speaking to them calmly in their tongue, and slowly the Jawa backed off and awaited more orders from Marion.

Pollix soon joined us and spoke through the comm. "We're looking for two droids, one is a small blue and white robot with a domed head and three legs. The other is golden, standing tall like a human. Apparently these Jawas saw those droids, and we need to ask them where they went. Got that Marion?" Pollix asked, and Marion went to work on the Jawas. He asked questions, but seemed to be shot down over and over again. Finally, he gave a sigh and returned to the rest of the group.

"He's not telling me anything. Says they don't keep a record of purchases." Marion informed us.

"I say we blast the little guys, save for a few of them. Then they'll tell us where they sold those droids." Horatio suggested. I couldn't agree with how violent his tactics were, but fear was a good way to control situations. They had to remember where those droids went if they were reported missing so recently.

"What do you think Heskill?" Pollix asked, turning to face me. I simply shrugged.

"Why don't we just... blast one and see what happens?"

"You heard the man." Sebastian said. I could feel his grin through his mask as he turned and shot a bolt of light at one of the Jawas. It hit its chest and sent the poor thing flying back, hitting the side of the Sandcrawler. The other two Jawas scuttled back into the vehicle. The door began to close on us.

"Get in there, now!" Horatio said as he jumped into the ramp. Ah, what the hell? Been a long time since we've had some action. I hurried on into the closing ramp, barely making it inside. Sebastian was the last one of us to hop inside, having to do a barrel roll to get into the small space just as the ramp fully closed. Looking around, the first thing I realized was how dark it was in here. Only a few lights lit up the interior, with salvage and scrap lining all corners of the walls. They were lucky they were small, or else they probably wouldn't be able to move around in here a whole lot.

"Take left Horatio, and Sebastian, take right. I'm going up to the control center and stopping this thing." The two of them nodded and went of in either direction. I turned with Sebastian and went up a small set of stairs, walking up a ramp with my weapon ready. I was nearing the front of the Sandcrawler, and was hit in the helmet by a piece of debris. "Gah!" I said as was tackled to the ground by two of the Jawas. One began trying to take away my blaster, and I retaliated with a blaster to its gut. The Jawa fell over and I easily overpowered the other. I threw him off and stood up, aiming my rifle at it.

"Stand down or prepare to be shot!" I said. The Jawa didn't listen and charged me with a pipe in its hand. I released another bolt, right into its head. After taking a moment to realize what I've done, I shouted down the catwalk. "Take as many as you can alive, but kill the ones you have to!" The second I said that, I instantly heard a volley of blaster fire below me. Damn Sebastian and his trigger happy brother. I quickly moved forward and saw the two Jawas controlling the massive machine. I aimed my blaster at them, "Stop this thing now." Its a good thing the Jawas understood that. I felt the behemoth jolt to a stop, and I instantly holstered my blaster and grabbed each of them by their necks. I couldn't lift them up, but I could drag them away with no problem.

"Sir, what do we do with the dead ones?" Horatio asked as I passed him.

"Drag them outside and make sure they're dead." I said, hitting a button to drop the ramp once more. When it was all the way down, I dragged the Jawas out into the sand and threw them against the massive tracks. "Tell them to stay there." I commanded Marion, who complied and spoke to them. "Ask them once more where the droids are, and we'll spare their lives."

After a few moments of talking, the Jawas began to rapidly give information to Marion. Once he was finished, he turned to us. "They were sold to a few farmers not too far north from here. If they're farmers then they're almost certainly still there." Marion paused. "You're going to let them go, right?" He asked. It was a hard decision, but I knew what needed to be done.

"Sorry kid, we can't let them live."

"But sir-"

"Open fire." I commanded as I turned away and got back into the speeder. The sound of blaster fire rung throughout the hills. Once the blaster fire stopped, the Jawas slumped in the sand.

"Taken care of, sir." Horatio said hopping into the vehicle after the rest of us. "What do we do with the bodies?" I took a moment to think about it.

"Leave them, the Sandcrawler too. We'll mark it for Imperial salvage and send a rescue team to dig up anything useful they can find on board. Let's go find those farmers and get the droids. Pollix, bring up Eekeb on a holo." I turned to face Pollix who did as I commanded. I could see Marion sitting behind him, and although all I could see was his gleaming, expressionless helmet, I knew he was saddened underneath. Sure, we could've spared them. But everyone knows a small group of only four or five Jawas never recovered. It was better than letting them drift away and wither off slowly.

Soon, Pollix held out the holo with a Stormtrooper standing in the center of it. The soldier looked different than the rest of us though, due to his larger backpack and orange shoulder pad that distinguished him as a captain. Sure, I was almost always in charge while Eekeb was away, but his word was supreme. "Yes?" He asked with a deep, bellowing voice. I could feel the rest of the squad cringe under their armor.

"We found the Jawas, they sold the droids to a few civilians up north, we're on our way there now." I told him.

"Good, I'll meet you there. Have Veila send me the coordinates and we'll find them." That was Eekeb Khaar language for _I'm going to show up and take all the credit._ We all knew it, too. He was going to make it seem like he did all the dirty work. If Eekeb wanted to be there in person, then these droids must be important. "Khaar out." Was his final words before switching off the holo.

"Alright boys, you heard the captain, time to go get us some bots." I said, switching on the speeder and heading off.


	4. Propaganda

"That's got to be the place." Sebastian commented as we neared a small dome hut dug halfway in the sand. It was a common type of building on Tatooine, since it hid the structure from the two hot suns that hung in the sky. One person was outside, tending to the framework of the dome shaped building.

"And that has to be Eekeb." Pollix pointed out to a sand speeder coming over a ridge in the distance, bolting towards us. "Let's give him a good show." We stopped the vehicle, one by one climbing out onto the shaky sand. That's a characteristic about this planet that was oddly charming; you could always tell where you were by the sand. You were near a major settlement or spaceport if the ground was hard and cracked. Dunes meant you were probably a long way from home, and the most likely to die. And then, there were the large cliffs and ravines to the west, a good place to hide a secret cult or make shady trades. We were oddly close to the Dune Sea, which I wasn't too happy about. Creatures and monsters lurked under the shifting sand, and I've known plenty of people to perish just from getting lost in the insanely large dunes.

"Excuse me," Called a feminine voice, soft and fragile. "May I assist you in some matter?" I turned my head and saw the petite old woman standing in front of the house. Her graying hair and wrinkly face showed her age in this harsh land. She wore a blue jacket with an odd orange pattern on the inside. It reminded me a lot of... Never mind. I don't need to think about that now.

"Ma'am, we have reports that you recovered two droids recently. Where are they?" Horatio got right to the point. The sound of the incoming speeder stopped, and familiar, precise boot steps gave the rest of us shivers. I turned and instantly saluted, seeing Eekeb standing tall in his gleaming white armor, not a speck of dust on it. The most prominent feature on him was the orange shoulder guard that made him stand out above the rest of us.

"Arkou, mission report." He spoke hard but smooth, his voice never flinching from its monotone normality.

"We just arrived sir, trying to find the droids we're looking for." I say, dropping my salute. I can hear the rest of the team behind me doing the same thing, observing as Eekeb stepped forward.

"We know you have them, surrender the droids or perish." He spoke like Darth Vader, obviously trying to be like him in every way possible. Keeping his voice dark, speaking only when needed, standing tall and keeping a dark presence around him. A complete kiss ass, I think. "Is anyone else in your home?"

"Why, yes, officer. My husband, Owen Lars. Would you like me to get-" The old woman was cut off when Eekeb fired a blaster bold into the side of the house, right by the lady. She screamed, and the rest of us flinched. We didn't say anything though, knowing Eekeb did as he wanted, and he wanted ti instill fear in everyone he met.

"Owen Lars, present yourself slowly with your hands up." He yelled down the dome, sounding more like a bark. I stand behind Eekeb, slowly inching towards the others in my group.

"He seems pretty pissy today," Marion commented. "Make sure not to piss him off."

"I'll try not to." Horatio said with a sigh. The light time Eekeb was in a bad mood, he threatened to throw Horatio in a speeder and send him off into the Dune Sea, and leave him there stranded with only a blaster pistol to shoot himself if he wanted to die quick. Eekeb was an interesting man. Soon, the man, Owen, stepped up with his hands in the air. He matched the same age as the woman, who revealed herself as Beru, probably late fifties.

"You better not have laid a finger on-" He was instantly cut off when he saw the smoldering blaster hole in the side of his house, looking down.

"I'm not asking again. The droids, where?" Eekeb raised his blaster at Owen. To this, Lars raised his hands higher in the air.

"You mean C3-PO and R2-D2, yes? I was looking for them, they went off in somewhere and I haven't seen them since. It's been a couple of hours." He said, sweat building up on his skin, as well as a look of fear.

"Is there anyone who could've stolen them or left with them?" The man seemed to ponder the question.

"Well, my- never mind, I don't know where they could've gone. Have you checked Mos Eisley?" Owen was obviously hiding something. He could be hiding another person in the house, or even the droids themselves... And Eekeb knew this, causing his next action to be quite drastic.

"Hmm... You're lying." Eekeb decided and shot three consecutive blaster bolts into Beru, the lady nearly bursting into flames right there as she collapsed into the sand. Owen let out a loud yell of desperation, about to dive for Beru when Eekeb spoke. "Seize him!" And with that, three of us - Horatio, Pollix and I - ran forward and held Owen hostage in our arms. Eekeb stepped forward, leaning down to be eye level with Lars. "The droids." He spoke simply.

"I don't know!" He yelled, trying to kick Eekeb's shins. "Last I saw them was with Luke-!" He tried to stop himself, but the word escaped his mouth.

"Luke?" I asked, looking up at my CO. "There's a good possibility these rebel scum realized we were coming for them and left with the droids. Almost definitely at Mos Eisley." Eekeb agreed with my findings and raised the blaster rifle at Owen.

"Please, no! I-" But Owen was cut off by a blast of light piercing his chest, ending his life quick. We dropped the now dead Owen Lars and made sure to check the farm home. It was a nice place, with plenty of open spaces and a nice source of food. Simple farmers obviously. But, no sign of a Luke or the two droids we needed. When we all regrouped at the surface, Eekeb gave precise orders.

"I want you to burn the bodies, make it look like this was an attack from the Sand People. We don't need this linked back to the Empire." The five of us nodded and went to work on setting up the scene, burning the bodies and setting up some scattered materials to make it seem like Raiders came through and demolished these poor farmers. "Oh, and, Echo Squad, feel honored. I'll be riding with you into Mos Eisley to look for those droids."


	5. The Droids We're Looking For

Riding into Mos Eisley was never fun. It almost always meant trouble, which usually involved work to fix, which, of course, involved moving. And in this dry, arid place made of sand and clay, moving was like trying to sift through quicksand for a living. Luckily we were on important business, which meant we had more to do than just meddle in petty thievery and drunken brawls like usual. Although they could sometimes get exciting - like Sebastian getting hit in the knee with a blaster bolt - they often required long hours of paperwork and pencil pushing.

We cross the threshold into Mos Eisley, hastily shooing people out of the way. We were with Eekeb though, and he would always make sure we didn't slow down for pedestrians. If they didn't move out of the way, then that's their fault. Speaking of the odd man, Eekeb, he seemed more like a diplomat than a captain. Granted, he was the CO of the entire Stormtrooper regiment in Mos Eisley and the surrounding areas, but he didn't need to act like royalty. That's why it was such a big deal to meet with him; he never spent his time in the field, so everyone in the speeder knew he might get some more fame out of finding these droids.

"Park there." Eekeb ordered, to which I complied. I slowed to a stop on the side of the road and the squad hopped out, blasters in hand. We stood in formation with our arms extended out as a solute, until Khaar gave the order to release from our poses, and thus began our briefing. "Horatio and Marion, go check the spaceport area, make sure they don't escape. Heskill, I want you with Sebastian and Pollix at Mos Eisley Cantina. Any questions before I call in backup?" He looked around the group, and I as the leader of the squad examined them as well. Horatio was obviously annoyed due to his posting with the recruit. "Good. Radio in with me if you've found anything." He turned to face the direction we came from, but soon stopped, and I understood why. Coming right this way was a speeder with a golden protocol droid, and an R2 unit, exactly what we've been looking for.

Eekeb and I exchanged glances, wondering if they were the real thing. Up in front was a young boy, probably in his late teens or early twenties with a hooded figure in the seat next to him. Eekeb began walking forward slowly, hailing them from a distance. They began to decelerate and soon came to a stop in front of the group. The five of us slowly surrounded the vehicle with Eekeb up front. He took a moment to look at the vehicle and the droids.

"How long have you had these droids?" Khaar asked, and almost instantly the boy replied.

"About three or four seasons."

"They're up for sale if you want them." The hooded man beside him said. Now that they were closer, I could see that it was an old, feeble man. He had an odd, knowing look to him. I made sure to stare him down to see if he tried anything.

"Let me see your identification cards." Eekeb demanded after a moment of silence. I could feel his excitement radiating off of his voice, although it remained hard and smooth.

With a small wave of his hand, the old hermit said, "You don't need to see his identifications." Instantly, I felt... happy. Almost high. He said the words so... majestically. All of the sudden I felt almost allured to not check his identification. Since I felt so awkwardly swayed for some reason, I let Eekeb do the talking.

"We don't need to see his identification." Eekeb concluded.

"These aren't the droids you're looking for." He stated again. Suddenly, I felt relieved. These aren't the droids we're looking for! Eekeb will soon leave since they're obviously not the ones we need, and I'll get to go back to my post and be lazy once more. How could this get any better?

"These aren't the droids we're looking for." Eekeb decided, and got no objection from the others in the group.

"He can go about his business." Said the wise old man, who obviously knew that he could go about his business.

"You can go about your business." He repeated what the old man had stated.

"Move along." Was the man's last words that he spoke to us, and we needed to let them move along.

"Move along. Move along." Said Eekeb, motioning for them to keep going. With that, the speeder trailed off into the distance. I felt awkward. Like the words I thought, the movements I made, they were all fake. Somebody else's. I didn't even feel like I was in my body anymore, just a shell being told what to do. Soon the feeling wore off though, and I asked Eekeb for orders.

Now that I think of it... that man seemed awfully suspicious. The thoughts I had before returned, and soon, I remembered everything I needed to know. Were those the droids I was looking for? I wasn't sure. But if I saw that old man or kid again, I'd ask them a few questions. It all seemed to blurred, though. I can barely remember how they looked. All I remembered was the boy with blond hair, and old man with the robes of some Jedi Master back from the Clone Wars. I used to read up on the events leading to the Galactic Republic transforming into the Galactic Empire. It was a thrilling tale, and I'd often engross myself in the topic back at base. My knowledge of the Clone Wars earned me a few notices from the Moff's during my training, which is how I achieved captain of my own four man squad so quickly.

"As I said before..." Eekeb said a bit dazed. "Go to the cantina with Pollix... We'll need more men at the spaceport, so Sebastian, go with Horatio and Marion." Sebastian gave a groan to protest but knew he wouldn't win the debate. He went over to Horatio, and the three of them got into the speeder and drove off.

"I'll see you back at base, captain." I said giving a solute to Eekeb. He nodded in my direction and went off to the Empire stronghold in Mos Eisley. I gave a look at Pollix, who tilted his head in the direction of the cantina.

"Let's find those droids and get the hell off this dust ridden planet." And with that, the two of us marched off towards the Mos Eisley Cantina.


	6. Casualties

"Hey, you two!" Someone called the second Pollix and I entered the cantina. Our heads turned in unison to the voice, and it turned out to be the bartender, a burly man with long hair and a an odd squint. He waved us over with his hand and I led the way through the crowd to the bartender.

"What is it?" I asked, my DLT 19 waving around in my hand. The blaster was heavy and large. I never understood why I needed to cart the thing around everywhere. It seemed more useful as a stationary weapon than something for a single person to carry around. Combined with my armor, it brought my visibility and movement to a minimum. Pollix soon joined my side, and I remembered just how menacing the armor looked up close. The helmet was smooth, with rigid vents along the sides, used to filter out smokes. Unfortunately it didn't block toxins and poisons, but the filter still provided a lot of aid on this dust ridden planet.

"This old ninja guy showed up with two droids and a kid. Policy says they can't have any droids in here so I kicked them out, and then-"

"Droids? Who had them?" Pollix asked, ready to find whoever was stirring up so much trouble in the Empire. Eekeb made multiple attempts to show his dominance, and show up to the conflicts, and now he's probably making calls to the top brass to say how much help and leadership he showed for the Empire. He would never do this unless it meant a possible promotion, and everyone knew he was looking for one.

"The droids are just outside somewhere, but the two freaks who owned them are right over there." The bartender pointed behind him to a small alcove in the side of the building, where a two men, a boy and a large furry thing sat at a table. The man, with dark hair and a vest, was looking back at us.

"Alright, we'll check it out." Pollix nodded his head, and we both started slowly pushing through the crowd towards the table. By the time we got there, only the other man and the tall dog person remained. They weren't our target, and we knew the old man and the boy were close by. We stared for a moment, making sure to recognize the man before walking off to search for him.

After a patrol around the entire bar (Even splitting up at one point,) we couldn't find them anywhere. Pollix radioed in to let the others know the droids were here for pick up and to search for the two in the area. Eekeb, Horatio, Marion and Sebastian would be here in a little over five minutes, and we just had to look around a little more before the others showed up. I'd order them to do the searching while I sit back and have a nice relaxing time at the famous Mos Eisley cantina.

I was just about to sit down when the radio crackled to life. "Heskill." Eekeb's voice boomed. "Meet us at the hangars south of the cantina, our spy found them." I groaned and sat back up.

"We heading out now sir?" Pollix asked, his blaster hanging loosely in his hand. I readied my DLT and nodded my head.

"Let's move." And with that, we headed out the cantina. Looks like I'd need to revisit one day to get that drink I wanted. We went on a light jog towards the hangar bays, only a few hundred yards from the cantina. Under normal circumstances we would take our time getting there, but Eekeb had his "We're about to finish this" voice, and everyone knew to be present when he used it. The last guy who was late is currently at the bottom of a water trough.

We arrived almost perfectly in time with the others of my group, and a few others from Delta. Eekeb led the charge and motioned for me to join him. We all walked in a perfect march, with Eekeb up front, Pollix and I behind him, followed by Horatio and Sebass, then Marion and the rest of the other team. In total we were probably ten or eleven strong, which was almost the the entire city's force of Stormtroopers.

We stopped in front of a man dressed in all black with some odd bird like node protruding as a mask. "Which way?" Eekeb asked, stopping with the rest of the group. The dark spy made a series of noises that I didn't understand, but Eekeb seemed to. "Alright men, load your weapons." He said leading the charge to the left through the busy alleyways. The sound of weapons preparing to kill filled the air, charging to life in our hands. I kept my DLT at a readied position at waist level.

We made our way through the hangar door and filed in one by one with Eekeb up front. "Stop that ship!" He called as we got into position. The man from the cantina, he was working on the large white cargo ship in front of us. I knew the others would be inside, we just needed to keep it from taking off.

"Blast 'em!" I ordered, and instantly Horatio and Sebass began lighting up the air with blaster fire, the others soon joining in. Instantly the smuggler began firing back with a pistol, hitting the roof above me. We all continued to return fire as we looked for cover. Instantly in front of me Eekeb fell to the ground in a plume of smoke, rolling to a stop as the man got on board his ship. I almost went after tem but decided checking on Eekeb was more important. There were a lot of us, so they continued their fire on the ship as the ramp closed. It lifted off the ground and turned as we kept shooting, the blaster bolts seeming to do nothing to the hull. I rolled Eekeb over and found that he had been hit directly in the chest, his armor cracked around the wound.

He was dead, alright. Not a doubt in my mind. The poor sap was killed because he was eager to get a raise. I guess it was his undoing. I stood up and looked around the men, all gleaming in white armor with smoking blasters in their hands. No one here was in charge anymore, until I realized I was the highest ranking officer.

"Pollix is hurt!" Horatio called out. I instantly made my way over to the wounded soldier who lay on the ground.

"Was he hit?" I asked.

"No, the rubble from the roof collapsed on him. He should be fine, but he may have some broken bones. He's unconscious." I frowned and looked up at the sky where the ship had disappeared into.

"Call the top brass, those damned droids got off world."


	7. Off World

"Heskill Arkou, report!" Said a voice from the crowd of white gleaming knights. I stepped forward and came to a halt with my entire body in a full salute, knowing this was the highest the officers got on this world. Tatooine was the lowest of the low, you'd only be sent here if you were just barely qualified to be a Stormtrooper. It wasn't hard to make it in but the tests were pretty brutal. These were all of the grunts of the Empire, the cannon fodder to be put in harms way to save the greatest generals and leaders.

"Present." I said, lowering my salute. I wasn't allowed to turn my head to look at whoever was talking to me. Whoever it was had to be important though. Luckily though the man came up in front of me so I could get a good look at him; wearing the ugly, tan outfits known for designating Imperial officers. His badge made him off to be an Admiral. Although he was a higher rank, he was still a higher rank on Tatooine, which got you as much respect as Bantha fodder. The Admiral wrote a few things down.

"Is it true Captain Eekeb Khaar was killed in the recent raid on a spaceship carrying fugitives and wanted assets?" The man said in a cold dark tone. Not one like Eekeb had, but a more professional voice. More orderly. There was something to the man's stature that said he was getting a promotion soon if he kept up the good work.

"Yes sir, about ten minutes ago." I stated. We were just outside of the spaceport where Stormtroopers from all over the globe were searching the Mos Eisley spaceport entirely. If they left anything behind, we'd find it. "Three men, a Wookie, and two droids." We had identified the big fur ball Pollix and I had seen. Something from a world called Kashyyyk, a planet that's the exact opposite of this dry and dead planet. Why people would try to settle here makes no sense to me.

The man wrote some more down on his paper before deciding. "Heskill, do you know what these men look like?" He asked.

"I do sir, the one was just a young adult, with-"

"Save it Arkou. I want you on the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station. There, you'll tell our lackeys the description of all the fugitives you spotted as well as a detailed report on the spacecraft used. The shuttle is in hangar bay 17. Take only those you absolutely need with you. Am I understood?" I nodded my head a little with excitement, knowing I'd finally get off this rock. Maybe I won't even have to dust my armor off after every patrol. The thought was racing through my mind.

"Yes sir." The admiral dismissed me and went on to talk to the rest of the troops about the chain of command. I eagerly turned to face the men behind me, knowing damn well who I'd take along with me. "Would Pollix Veila, Horatio and Sebastian Buphi, and Marion Draas please step forward." As I said that, almost in unison, the four men stepped ahead of the rest of the Stormtroopers, all identical. I smiled under my helmet, and I could sense them smiling right back. "We got a shuttle to catch boys, let's not keep them waiting.

Whatever battle station we were going to, I was sure it would be better than Tatooine. There was no reason to subject myself to torture here. It was time I kicked back and had some fun with my squad. "Sir?" Called out one of the Stormtroopers. I could tell by the voice it was Sebastian. "Why'd you decide to bring along Marion? He's just a runt, let him serve his time here!"

I was about to say something back when Marion himself cut me off. "He needs me still, Sebass. we won't need a technician on the Station, we'll have plenty of them. Everyone always needs an intelligence officer." With that a small chuckle came from Horatio to my left.

"You know what Marion, you're not all that bad." I could practically hear Sebastian steaming in his helmet as we filed out of the group and made our way towards hangar 17. It wasn't too far away, and before long we arrived. I opened the shuttle doors and smiled as I stepped inside.

"Welcome to your new home for the next couple of hours boys, sit back and relax." I set my gear down beside one of the seats as the rest began filing inside. I took off my helmet and set it down, smiling up as the others thought it was permission to do the same. They chatted among themselves, talking about all sorts of different topics, from Tatooine to space, to family to weapons. I decided to get up and head to the bathroom on the aft end of the shuttle. It wasn't large so I only needed to step a few feet to get to it.

I shut the door behind my and took a long look in the mirror hanging on the wall. I felt the thrusters spark to life as we took off for the flagship that would take us to the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station. I was more than excited to get to see my new home. It'd be even better than going back home, no bugs, no pesky tourists, just a bunch of snobs in suits and armor running around.

When I looked in the reflection, the man staring back at me wasn't the same one who wanted to be a Stormtrooper all those years ago. Sure, I expected it to be a tough journey, but not one this long or this boring. The dark hair on my head began to fade into grey, a salt and pepper look becoming of it. I wasn't getting old, I was only 36. But the damn stress of constantly having the Empire breathing down your neck would turn anyone into an old man by their middle ages.

The scar on my lower lip was my reason to keep going though. The same day I began questioning my loyalty to the Empire, the damn Rebel scum attacked and nearly killed me. I would've been completely demolished if the X-Wing had fired its bolt just a few feet to the right. instead it blew up the guy next to me and I was left with minor bruises and scars. I knew then that I would always stay with the Empire, no matter how much I despised it. And anyway, what would one man do to change the galaxy?

My nose was a little crooked from the time my nose got busted from some gangster at Mos Eisley Cantina. Bastard nearly broke my whole face if Sebastian wasn't there to help. Hell, the reason I invited all of those four men in the next room was because they all had saved my life one way or another, and to me, saving a life meant that life was indebted to you. I couldn't leave them behind, not after how each of them helped me in their own way.

I stared back at the man and knew this wasn't what I should've become. But it was too late now to turn back, and I had too many friends that I couldn't just give up on. I heard them all laugh at some joke someone made, and I myself chuckled knowing we'd all be together for a long time. Nothing in the galaxy could split us apart. I decided to quit sulking in the mirror and join them in the first laid back relaxation time we had in months, not as their captain, but as their friend.


	8. The Death Star

"Are you guys seeing this?" Horatio asked, looking out the view port. It had been a few hours since we took off from Tatooine and arrived on The _Interceptor_ , a large star destroyer that would bring us to a mysterious battle station, simply known as the DS-01. It must've been pretty amazing, since everyone aboard the _Interceptor_ was chatting about it. My team of five was currently on a smaller shuttle, jumping between The _Interceptor_ and the DS-01. Horatio was the first to spot it, and had a front row seat of whatever ungodly mass of weapons systems we were heading to.

"Of course we can't see it, your big head's in the way." Pollix said as he pushed Horatio from the center of the window to give everyone a view of the large moon we were going towards.

"I thought it was a battle station, not a lunar base." Marion exhaled as he began strapping on his armor.

"That's no moon..." Sebastian spoke up. This drew my attention, and I began realizing that it wasn't a lunar base at all; it was a base that looked like a moon. As it slowly rotated towards up in its gravitational path, a large dish sat in the center of it, like a crater had struck the battle station and no one had fixed it. Maybe it was a huge satellite dish?

"Look at the size of her!" Horatio gasped as every little light and crevice made their appearance. It was a dull grey, just like an Imperial officers uniform, and hideously lit up. It looked like a giant eyeball almost, with the dish in the center being the pupil. It almost freaked me out, seeing such a massive battle station, especially one that was mobile. I could see just beyond it that the station was orbiting through an asteroid field, which was somewhat odd since they could move its trajectory on command. Why would they want to sail it right through a bunch of space debris?

When the shuttle entered the through the menacingly large hangar doors, we waited a moment to get everything checked out. We all checked each others gear and to make sure it was up to inspection, since we weren't too sure how uptight these Imperials were compared to the lazy ones back on Tatooine.

We stepped off of the ramp and onto the reflective black floor. The hangar was bustling with activity, and I silently groaned, knowing I'd actually have to do work while I was here. The Empire was nice and lazy before this rebellion sprung into full swing, we couldn't just enjoy what we had. I could be back home on Hosnian Prime, but no, I got garrisoned at Mos Eisley, the backwater city on a backwater planet in a backwater solar system.

"Heskill Arkou?" A man called out. I scanned the crowd and saw an officer, his badge showing his rank as Admiral. "Are you Arkou?" He repeating stepping closer. I made my solute, and heard the rest of my team follow suit.

"Yes sir, Arkou, Buphi, Veila, and Draas, reporting." The man scanned our little group.

"There are five of you, I heard 4 names.'

"Yes sir, Horatio and Sebastian Buphi, are brothers." Pollix spoke up. The admiral examined us a bit more before waving it off. The Empire never liked family working together, since it provided too much of a bond to our past lives. They would prefer us to think of the Empire as our family, but somehow Horatio and Sebass always stayed together through it all, and this time was no different.

"I was you five to-" He was cut off when another Stormtrooper in gleaming white armor approached.

"Sir, a ship has been reeled in and is in hangar 11, Darth Vader wants a scouting crew to check it out." Before much more could be asked, the man was swept away into the crowd to continue his duties. I looked back at Pollix, and I could tell through his helmet he felt a bit of angst. The man had spoken of Darth Vader, the scariest and more terrifying man to ever live. I would tremble if I ever met him, but be more than honored by the appearance.

"Scratch that Arkou, I want you and your men to scour the ship and clean it top to bottom, make sure no place goes unchecked. Hangar 11 is the next one over, dismissed." He waved us on and went on to perform the rest of his duties.

"You heard the man, let's get over there and give a good first impression." My team grunted as a communal response of 'I don't want to be here' and we went off, passing Stormtroopers and workers and engineers of all kinds. Some wore dark, reflective black armor, some wore pilot ace outfits, and others dressed as mechanics. I always toyed with the thought that any one of these people could be fake, an impostor trying to sneak their way through the Imperial forces.

When we got to the hangar bay, the entire place was cleared of all activity, except for a few people getting into line. We stepped inside and looked around at the other troopers, around 20 or 30 in total. Seeing clearly that everyone was getting into formation, I decided following suit would help us not stand out, since everyone else was doing it, although I couldn't tell why. Then, I saw the ship. It looked exactly like the one that had blasted its way out of Mos Eisley! The droids, and the traitors, were in there somewhere!

"Look!" Pollix said. "Over there!"

"I know, I see it, it's the same ship." I said quietly, but Pollix hit my arm.

"No, over there!" He pointed his head in the other direction quickly, and that's when I saw him. Dressed from head to toe in gleaming black armor, a cape flowing as he walked behind him, the sound of his respirator filling the air with a chilly and cold atmosphere. It was him. Darth Vader was here.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, watching every little stride he made to catch his full motions and movements. We were in the front of the group, and when Darth Vader stopped to talk to the admiral from before, he was only about 3 or 4 feet away from me. I could feel the world around me grow darker as his presence engulfed me. I could tell the rest of my group felt it too. When Vader talked, it made me nearly melt in my boots. It was dark and scruffy, but forceful and present. It was like talking to the most important man in the universe.

When Vader walked away, the admiral motioned to us to step forward. "Get me a scanning crew in here on the double." He said. "I want every part of this ship checked." That was our cue to step up and into the freighter, being cautious and making sure no one escaped as we checked. Horatio and Marion stood watch at the front of the door, while Pollix, Sebastian and I searched the ship. I made my way through the corridor with my blaster drawn at my side, slowly striding along. To my left down the hallway, Pollix made his way toward me with his DLT in his hands, inspecting just as well as me.

We regrouped at the front of the ship. "There's no one here." I said, and motioned to leave the ship. We both exited, slightly bummed that we didn't find any rebel scum to blast. A group of men in engineer outfits came up to the ship. I let Pollix and Sebass talk for a bit to Horatio and Marion as I walked up. "The ship's all yours. If the scanners pick up anything, report it immediately." I instructed them. I turned to face my team. "Alright, let's go." I said, and filed out with my team. We were aimlessly making our way through the hangar, winding through the hallways and and endless groups of soldiers. Where could those rebels have gone to?

"Arkou, I need your assistance once more." The admiral's voice rang in my helmet. "There's been a lack of communication in the transmitting room in the room above the hangar. Go check it out."

"Yes sir, it will be done." I said and redirected the men towards the room he had described. When we got there, the door was closed shut and the sound of beeps and robotic whirs came from the other side. "Open up in there!" I said banging on the door. The five of us got our weapons ready. "Open up!"Finally, after a few moments, I decided to blast open the controls to the door and watched as it shot up. Me and and my men came in, with Pollix, the idiot he is, banging his head on the door to my left. "Take over." I said and examined the room as we all spread out.

"Look, there." Sebass pointed off to a utility closet. The five of us swarmed the door, ready for whatever was back there. The door opened, and inside were two droids, one gleaming gold and the other a white and blue.

"Those madmen!" The gold droid spoke. "They're heading for the prison level! If you hurry, you might catch them!" These were the droids we were looking for, alright. But right now, I needed to get those damned rebels before they caused any collateral damage. "Come on!" I said, and the five of us all left to save the day once more. "You stand guard." I told Pollix, who did as I said and waited by the door as we all moved out.

If this is how it was every day around here, I'd rather be back on Tatooine.


	9. Heavy Losses

By the time Horatio, Sebastian, Marion and I arrived at the cell block, the rebels had already escaped. The doors slid open and we stepped into what looked like a battlefield, with smoke and debris filling the area. It was as if the entire rebel fleet had attacked, with so many dead Stormtroopers around me. I made my way forward, followed by my squad, and talked to the man before me.

"Where did they go?" I asked, keeping my blaster ready in case they showed themselves again. The Stormtrooper I was talking to had black gleaming armor, a Shadow trooper. Those were the elite of all of us, specialized in taking down any enemy of the empire.

"We think they hid in one of the cell blocks." He responded, and motioned for his team and mine to move up. One by one, we all checked each individual cell to make sure they wouldn't sneak out on us. Most of them were unused at the time, but others had high valued criminals in them, such as smugglers, enemies of the state, and political rivals. Eventually we made our way into an empty cell, and looked around. I didn't spend too much time inside, but Horatio soon called out from the hall.

"Sir, come look at this!" I made my way out of the room and looked at what Horatio was trying to show me - a small hole in one of the vents to the right side, with steam arising from it.

"That leads right to the garbage disposal." One of the other troopers informed me. "If they're down there, it'd be easy to crush them to bits using the compactor's walls."

"Good idea." I said, turning to face them all. "You men get the controls to that compactor working, me and my team will head down and make sure no one escapes." We all seemed to agree on this idea, and we set off for the trash compactor. After asking for directions along the way, I led the charge of me and my three other men towards the point of interest. On the way, though, we passed about five or six other Stormtrooper patrols. I had seen more of these units in the past five minutes than I had in all of Mos Eisley. What was the point of having all of these men here? Why did the Empire need so many aboard this station? If it became under siege by rebel forces, would we all be able to evacuate before being destroyed? I hoped so.

We turned the corner and saw an open, circular door. We all made our way towards it, and when we got closer, realized it led right to the trash compactor. Although, something was wrong - the walls hadn't closed all the way, and the door was ajar. Did they escape? I stuck my head in and looked around to make sure they weren't hiding inside, before grudgingly making my call to the admiral.

"Sir, we're at the compactor, but there's nothing here except some Stormtrooper gear." An audible groan was heard on the other end.

"The rebels had been confirmed using Imperial gear to make their way to the princess. Are you sure they're no where inside?"

"Well, from the lack of blood on the walls and crushed bones, I'd say they got out alive."

"Spread out and look for them, I want them found this instant." The admiral switched off his radio in frustration. I sighed, knowing what would happen if admirals didn't remain above par. Their careers usually ended in being killed by Darth Vader himself. He was known for getting rid of those who failed him, that's probably why he had such a good work force.

I signaled for Marion and Sebastian to search down one corridor while Horatio and I checked down another.

"Think those rebels will make it out of this station alive?" Horatio asked as we marched on our way to look for the escapade.

"Of course not," I replied with a chuckle. "You saw how many units are stationed here. They'll be dead within the hour."

"I dunno, they seemed to have gotten far already." Horatio commented under his breath. We left the conversation at that, both knowing that if we said much more, we might get fired for our lack of belief in the Empire's ways. Eventually, after ten or fifteen minutes of searching, I called it off and told the entire squad, including Pollix, to join Horatio and I back at the hangar with the stolen freighter. It didn't take long, in a matter of minutes we were all present, standing around talking leisurely.

We all remained on guard, since we were standing right next to the only way those rebels could get off this space station, weapons in hand and heads on a swivel. But, at the same time, we had a long day, and were ready for some warm food and a warmer bed. We remained at an alert carry, every now and then checking the hangar for activity.

But, of course, something else caught our attention. We turned to face the airlock at the other end of the hangar, where the sound of light colliding on light echoed from. My entire team looked off and prepared ourselves in case it may be trouble. And just like that, a man in a brown robe jumped out into view, with a glowing blue saber of some kind extending from him. Soon, he was met with a large, dark figure with a crimson blade, and soon, the two began to have an intense battle. Me and my men all gasped, knowing exactly who we were witnessing - Darth Vader, in action. It was rare to see the tank fight, but when he did, he never lost. Darth Vader was considered the hardest person to kill in the entire galaxy, even above the Emperor himself. He had lightening fast reflexes, agility, strength and intimidation all rolled up into one.

"Come on," Horatio whispered as me and my men all ran forward to catch the action, and help if it was needed. I followed close behind as my men and I watched the two older masters fight one another, their blades reflecting off of each others, creating an amazing light show. The two of them fought with intense valor and elegance, almost as if they were both from another time entirely, one much more simple, where a blade was more respected than a blaster. I had believed Vader carried the only type of weapon in use, but it would appear I was wrong. Here was some other man wielding the blade just as well as Vader did. It was an epic show to say the least.

Finally, the man turned to face my team, with a small smile on his face. It was the old hermit from Tatooine! I resisted the urge to raise my blaster and gun the man down right then, instead letting Vader take on the man himself. One final strike through his abdomen, and the old man disappeared into thin air. His robe and blade clattered to the ground, creating confusion among us all. Where did he go? Is that what those light sabers did, disintegrate people completely with one touch?

A loud scream from behind us caught our guard, and we all turned to face whoever had snuck up on us. It was the rebels, with the princess! She looked dazzling, almost too pretty to shoot at. But, rebels were rebels, and enemies of the Empire needed to be put down. We all opened fire among the small crew of four before us, who began scrambling for their ship. They soon returned fire on us, one of their blaster going right by my head. I could've been dead in a split second if I was a foot to the left. Their blaster bolts flew by me as we continued to rein fire upon them. One of the blaster bolts hit Pollix in the abdomen, causing him to keel over and fall of the hangars elevator platform.

I resisted the urge to jump down after him, instead continuing my fire on the rebels before me. Before I knew it, Sebastian was hit with a blaster bolt as well, and not long after that, Marion was hit in the shoulder as well. Horatio and I were the only two left standing, continuing our fire on the rebels as their made their way inside the ship. Soon, its thrusters sparked to life, and the ship shot out of the hangar in an instant. I lowered my gun and breathed deeply as Horatio began looking over Sebastian and Marion's wounds. I quickly went forward and looked over the edge of the elevator shaft, seeing Pollix lay motionless at the bottom. It wasn't too far down ,but I could tell he was hurt bad.

"Pollix!" I called down, dropping my blaster on the ground and starting the elevators ascent up to my level. "We need backup, Stormtroopers down, I repeat, Stormtroopers down!"


	10. New Friends

I idly ate the table, pushing around the food on my tray as I thought about the past events. So far, more than half of his squadron were harmed, currently residing in the medical bay. The only one to remain unscathed was Horatio, who sat on the other end quietly. We both were in a sour mood, since Sebastian, the team's comedian, was no longer with us. We weren't making fun of Pollix's knowledge of Imperial history as he tried explaining its rise to power, and we weren't trying to pry any information from the silent and timid Marion. No, it was just us two, and it had never seemed more lonely. It had been a week and a half since that harmful encounter with those rebels - now known as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa.

What were they even doing there anyway? The entire rebel force, what did they have against the Empire? I never understood why someone would want to decapitate the Empire and make way for something new. Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but I doubt any other dynasty could do much better. They claim to be fighting to break away from the Empire's iron fist over the galaxy, but honestly, who cares? As long as you're a human, than you won't be given a hard time. If you remain under the radar, or simply don't do anything against them, then they won't care about you. These rebels were just fighting to fight. Their lives weren't easy or exciting enough, so they had to go and plunge the entire galaxy into chaos in the name of freedom.

"Think they'll recover?" Horatio asked as he picked at his meal. His eyes never lifted from the table, obviously caring about his wounded brother. Sebastian and Horatio Buphi didn't look at all like brothers, nor acted like it. Sebastian was as pale as a ghost, who burned easily in the sun and could never get a tan. Horatio, on the other hand, would turn a golden brown if he was outside for longer than a few minutes. The two of them never had a tender moment in front of me, sometimes I wonder if they were even brothers at all. They were both only related by their mother, with Horatio being the older one.

His father died not too long after his birth, and their mother quickly moved on to the next guy, with Sebastian being born just a few months later. It was odd to think of never having parents. I always had mine around in my childhood. Hosnian Prime was a civil world with high standards, unlike the Buphi's home planet of Jakku. My mother was a kind and caring woman, while my father was more of the bad cop. But I loved them just the same, never once wishing to be born in a different family. I loved my sister dearly, although I never saw her much. She was too busy with work nowadays, never able to leave Hosnian Prime to visit me on Tatooine, or, before that, Alderaan.

"Of course they'll live." I said, looking up to face him. The medics wouldn't put them in the bacta tanks if they wouldn't. They'll recover in a few months from now, not a doubt about it. Have you ever been inside one of those things? Disgusting. It feels like you're floating in a pool of saliva. I got hurt back in initiation and spent a few days in one. Let me tell ya', I never want to get back in one." Horatio seemed interested in the topic, but was obviously still distracted.

That's the same way I felt with Pollix. I had been with him in the Imperial military ever since we signed up together. Horatio and Sebastian didn't join Eekeb Khaar's group until a year ago, and Marion didn't sign up until a few months ago. Pollix was my best friend, and I wouldn't want to do anything to mess that up. As I daydreamed of good memories with my group, a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned around, wondering if someone was bout to shout at me that we stole their spot. I was eager for a fight, and excitedly faced my opponent.

Until I realized it was a girl looking back at me. "Hello." She spoke simply, her voice light but reserved. She wore an Imperial officer's outfit, with a low rank symbolized in the pin on her shirt. A blond french braid peeked out from under her cap, resting gently on her shoulder. Her face was angular and her jawline was sharp, with every shred of beauty you could put into a single woman. "Are you Heskill Arkou?"

After taking a moment to absorb her beauty, I responded. "Yes ma'am, that would be me." I said. "Is there something I can do for you?" A smile smile was plastered onto her face.

"My name is Admiral Nora Storm, I'll be your new missions supervisor for the time you'll be stationed here. Get comfy though, I don't think your team is scheduled to leave for a while. May I sit?" She asked, and I quickly moved my tray and cup over with me to give her plenty of space to sit.

"New leader, eh?" Horatio asked, looking her up and down. "I'm surprised you're not trying to fight this Heskill. You hate being told what to do." It was true, I never enjoyed taking orders. It made me feel like a dog on a leash, and I hated feeling like that. But hey, this officer seemed pretty alright to me, not to mention gorgeous. Why not give it a try?

"Just make sure you say please and thank you, and we'll be all good." I said, flashing a smile. This caused Nora to laugh, hiding her giggle with her hand.

"Admirals shouldn't be down in the mess hall, we have our own eating quarters, but I was passing by and figured I'd introduce myself. After all, we're a team now. I hope the rest of your men recover, their profiles seemed to indicate you all work extremely well as a team. It's a shame we couldn't catch those rebels last week though." She seemed to glare at us, obviously wondering how we could take such heavy losses and deal practically none to them. In all honesty, I was more worried about Pollix, Sebastian and Marion being injured than a few rebels. The glare soon faded and was replaced by a smile once more.

"I'll leave you boys to your meals. Make sure to stop by afterwards, I have some orders for you." She stood up and excused herself before heading to the door and vanishing from sight. I stared at the entryway she had left in, wondering if I could get a view as she went on. Eventually I turned back to the table and continued eating with a new found strength.

"You seem extra cheery from our new friend." Horatio laughed halfheartedly from his seat. "I bet you 20 credits she'll want to exchange our unit for another after three months."

"You're on." I smiled in his direction as I ate. It felt good to finally share a joke again, even if it was just a wager. Either way, seeing a smile on Horatio's face always brightened up the room. I nearly finished my meal when the loudspeaker in the room crackled to life with a blare of sirens and red flashing lights.

"This is a code red, everyone to your battle stations. I repeat, code red, Rebellion forces are on their way, ETA 30 seconds." Horatio and I eyed each other as everyone around us began to pack their gear up and leave.

"Ready to go kick some rebel ass?" I asked, standing up.

Horatio joined me as we left the room. "I've been waiting all week for this."


	11. Evacuation Plans

Horatio and I stopped off at our cramped dorm to grab our equipment. Within a matter of minutes, the two of us were strapped head to toe in full white, gleaming stormtrooper armor. After this, we made our way to the armory and loaded up with blasters. I grabbed my trusty DLT-19, a large and cumbersome heavy laser turret, with a bipod attached to the bottom for controlled recoil when needed. I looked to my left and watched as Horatio took an E-11, a standard issue Imperial blaster. I never trusted those blasters to get anything done. They overheat considerably fast and don't deal much of a punch. The DLT, however, was fantastic at locking positions and making sure anything that moves in its line of site gets obliterated. So far, the blaster hadn't let me down, and I was prepared to have it save me a few more times in my career.

"You ready?" I asked, strapping on a thermal detonator to my side. I knew I shouldn't use a heavy explosive in a space station, especially if we'd have any rebel forces near airlocks that could easily be broke, but I figured it could come in handy and we needed to get some rebels ejected from the station.

"All set." Horatio said as he charged his rifle. "Let's get going." We stepped out of the armory and my radio crackled to life.

"Horatio? Heskill?" Nora's voice came over the radio.

"Standing by for orders, ma'am." I said.

"I need you in docking bay eleven, I fear they might be trying to board us and hold a portion of the hangar to get troops inside."

"We're on it." I said, and the two of us started going towards the correct hangar after asking for directions. I was honestly a bit startled. No one around here seemed to be in any rush, or felt the need to hurry. The rebels were bold enough to attack such a large station, and they'd probably be obliterated in a matter of seconds by our defenses, but still, I expected a little chaos.

We soon entered the hangar, and watched through the clear port doors that TIE fighters were engaging X-Wings in a ferocious battle for space superiority, no less that a few feet from the shielded bay we were in. If one of those fighters decided to launch an ion missile at the doors, Horatio and I would be sucked into the vacuum of space, and suffocate in a matter of seconds. The thought didn't help me calm down as I watched the battle rage on. I knew those rebels wouldn't make a dent in such a large station, and I wasn't too sure what the point of being here was. I hadn't seen a single transport ship in the entire battle, so why were we guarding a hangar? It seemed useless to me.

And then, the entire space station rattled and shook as the sound of a massive explosion practically broke my ear drums. I tried grabbing onto a nearby crate to stabilize myself, hoping whatever was causing that would be destroyed. I frowned, turning to face Horatio who was getting up off the ground. "What was that?!" He questioned, picking his blaster up off the ground.

"I'm not sure, but I feel the Empire underestimated our opponents." I grimaced. "Horatio, I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"Me too. Think we should flee?" He asked, which was met with silence. I watched as the battle out in space continued, one TIE fighter after another being destroyed by those X-wings. I began to see through the Imperial propaganda and notice just how good those rebel pilots were. I knew the Empire would lie about the Rebellion's strength to keep morale up, but this was insane. Fighter after fighter, it seemed like we were losing the battle. I began thinking and prayed nothing would happen too bad to this station.

"Horatio, we need to go get the others. We need to get them off this thing before something bad happens."

"But what about our orders?"

"Does it look like they're trying to land?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Go get those soldiers and bring them back here. Now." With that, Horatio bolted in the opposite direction, on his way to the medical bay to get the others. I seemed to have a pretty good sense of when it was time to evacuate. Ever since the battle of Scarif, one of the first major rebel attacks, I knew just when it was the right time to get the hell out of there.

Scarif was a very hard thing to remember for me. So many of my friends died that day. The rebels were after the Death Star's plans, and somehow successfully evacuated with the knowledge of the station. That was a battle that took place a long time ago, before I was stripped of my rank for fleeing a battle and told to restart as a Private. It almost sucked, going from such an esteemed fighter (A Major to be exact) to the very bottom of the food chain once more. After the battle of Scarif, I managed to slowly make my way back up the tower to Captain again. But, if I was going to make it out of this battle alive, I'd need to flee again. Now that I think of it, if the rebels had the plans, then they could've found a weak spot. I prayed to whatever godly being was out there that I'd live to see another day.

"Heskill!" Horatio called, and I turned my head. He was making his way across the hangar with Pollix, Marion and Sebastian. Pollix was the only other man standing, though. He seemed to have already mostly recovered from his wounds, while Sebastian and Marion were still on a stretcher.

"We need Sebastian to fly this thing." I said, motioning to the small dropship to my left. It was the exact same type of ship that brought us to the DS-01 Orbital Battle Station, but it seemed to have taken damage from an earlier fight.

"How is he supposed to fly when he's barely able to breathe?" Horatio asked as he brought them over. I helped him load the soldiers into the bay of the craft when another explosion rocked the ship.

"I don't know, but he has to!" I said, lifting up Sebastian, who groaned out in pain.

"I can... Do it." He said quietly, and I silently thanked him. I carried Sebastian to the front of the ship and set him down in the pilot's seat, praying he hadn't lost any cognitive functions from the battle. Sebastian timidly grabbed the controls and began flicking at switches and buttons.

"Is everyone on board?" I called out.

"We're all here!" Pollix called from the back.

"Then get us the hell out of here Sebass!" With that, the pilot began levitating the ship, and soon, we blasted off into the battle with no defensive weapons at our disposal, and Nora's voice ringing in my ear to come back to the station.


	12. AWOL

"I said get us off this station, not crash into another ship!" I cried out as I held onto the grip to keep myself steady. Sebastian was maneuvering around various debris, explosions and projectiles as he attempted to get us away from the DS-01 Orbital Battle Station. We watched as multiple TIE and X-Wing fighters were shot down or forced to crash into the side of the lunar base. It was nearly horrific to watch - these weren't a group of rag-tag anarchists trying to send a message, these were trained rebels with skill in their piloting, putting a legitimate dent into our defenses. What were we supposed to do now? I could tell from where I was that Sebastian was having a hard time piloting, as his wounds hadn't fully healed yet.

"And I told you there was a twenty percent probability of us making it even if I used all the tricks in the book!" He yelled back at me as the crew was smashed again and again against the hull whenever he made his turns. A particular explosion sent the shuttle we were on hurtling back towards the ship, which was the opposite direction we wanted to go in. It was almost enough spinning to make me throw up, which would be a terrible thing to happen in my helmet. Speaking of, the damn thing made it worse to see what was going on.

How could the rebels possibly think they could win? They sent a couple space ships after an entire battle station? It doesn't seem right. No sane person would attempt this, even if they had a sound plan. It almost unnerved me as I began to think of the different ways they might be able to win. But, time and time again, I reminded myself just how large the lunar base was. It was without a doubt the largest concentration of Imperial soldiers in the Galaxy, countless fighters and, not to mention, the giant laser dish sitting in the middle of it. Sure, if I wanted to die this is how I'd want to go out, but this rebellion was looking to make a change. I'd like to see them try and punch through their defenses. Still, our defenseless shuttle was still a very easy target to pick off at the moment.

"Buphi you better get us out of this mess or I'll kill you again after we die!" Marion groaned from the ground as Horatio tried his best to keep our wounded from flying around too much inside of our shuttle. "Pollix looks like he's trying to kill you with his mind, Sebass."

"Don't blame me, you're the ones who wanted me to fly this rust bucket!" Sebastian argued back and somehow managed to get our shuttle from hitting the station at the last moment, grazing its surface as we attempted to pull away. I didn't know much about piloting, but I knew it was always more difficult to get a freighter out of orbit of a large celestial body - especially in the middle of a dog fight - and could possibly be the biggest reason we won't survive this battle.

At least, not that I thought. The fighting seemed to die down a bit. Less explosions raddled our hull, more positive radio chatter and less tossing and turning of the ship. Had we won? Were they defeated? I turned to look out the window, and saw only a few measly X-Wings flying around the ship, closely followed by TIE fighters. The battle was going to be over in a matter of seconds, those poor rebels probably didn't even know what they were getting themselves into.

But, as I thought this, the entire rim of the Death Star began to glow in almost an eclipse sort of way. Soon, each crevice and hull plating was red hot. We flew further and further away, and suddenly, all radio activity became completely quiet. It was nearly maddening at the thought of it - what was going on? What could possibly have gone wrong? We surely won - maybe the battle station was just charging up its main laser to show off to the galaxy just how terrifying its new toy was?

I looked back at the men behind me. The ones who were conscious looked out the window in awe (With Horatio nearly feinting), and soon, I turned my head to face the station - what the station was, before it exploded into a huge ball of flames and debris. A large band of hot molten metal branched out in all directions as the intimidating fleet soon vanished from site. As the explosion got closer and closer to us, my eyes widened.

"Sebastian, light speed, now!" I ordered, bracing myself.

"The calculations haven't been set yet, we still-"

"I said now dammit!" And at that, we decided to make our suicide attempt at leaving the desolate area of space where countless Imperial men perished, probably without even knowing they lost. That got me thinking - all those people on there, Darth Vader, Nora Storm, and all the others, perished in the blink of an eye. I looked around for a single moment. This entire shuttle was currently AWOL. We all abandoned our posts, and became cowards in the face of a rebellion. Maybe whatever those rebels did to destroy the station, could've been prevented if we stayed on board.

Before I had any more time to think about it, the ship soon reached its way into the stars as we traveled at light speed, just barely making our way out of the reaches of the explosion. I took this moment to breathe heavily. Since we didn't have the time to make sure our trajectory was clear, it was perfectly possible that we could end up going light speed into a star or planet. Poof, gone and dead as fast as the Death Star. I collapsed against the side of the hull, practically feeling a heart attack come on.

"Jump calculations are finished," Sebastian said, almost ironically as he began to quickly hit levers and switches. "We're not out of this yet." He added as he suddenly halted the ship and pilled it out of light speed. The sudden jerk sent me forward a bit, and I sat there holding onto Sebastian's sear as I stared out the view port. "We don't have enough fuel to jump to light speed again." He sighed heavily, finally realizing the peril of what he had just said.

We had just barely managed to stop in time as we began to hurtle towards a large celestial body, with no fuel to keep us from crashing, and no clue where we were.


	13. Crashing

The planet was, from this distance, uninhabited. It was a large desert planet with various black spots, probably large rolling hills or canyons. It looked completely void of life, almost resembling Tatooine in its planet-wide barren wasteland. Except, with my time on the planet, I practically remembered every last little detail of the celestial body. Tatooine was stamped in the back of my mind, its ridges, dunes and cities embedded in my mind. This was some new planet. A place I had never been to before.

For all I know, not a single person was living on it. There definitely wasn't any visible civilizations. It was almost serine though, a barren world with nothing living on it. That was, until the border of our portholes began to show the fire caused by reentry into the atmosphere. The entire outside of our ship was engulfed in flames. Of course, this didn't scare me. I had been through this process many times. I knew that, unless the hull was breached, we'd make it into atmosphere without any harm done to use. What did frighten me though, was the lack of a way to stop.

"And you're sure there's no parachutes? Or maybe backwards thrust?" Horatio asked frantically to our resident pilot.

"No, I've checked over and over again. The only way we're slowing down is if we crash. We lost all control to the engines during hyperspace. Right now, there's no way we're getting out of this unscathed."

"Great way to bring our hopes up." Marion groaned from the back seat. He was on the floor of the ship holding onto a beam to keep from being flung around the fuselage. The poor boy had seen more action in the past couple of minutes than most Stormtroopers saw in their lives. Recently, there's been a larger amount of rebel insurgencies being reported. Either they were getting desperate, or they were getting bold. No matter what it was that gave them their strength, it wasn't good for anyone.

"If I were you, I'd start bracing for impact rather than mope around." Sebastian replied. Soon, the fires died down and we got a clear picture of what we already knew was there - dunes of sand, and rocks. The ground began to get closer and closer, which wasn't a comforting image. "Brace for impact." Sebastian said once more.

"Bank up!" I said, holding onto the seat.

"I'm trying!" He replied as the controls fought him. We began to slowly make our way up, so we wouldn't hit the dunes head on. Hopefully we'd glide along them until we came to a restful stop, but that was being a bit too optimistic. We were Stormtroopers, and unlucky ones at that. I just hoped I wouldn't survive the crash just to die from wounds a few hours later.

And that's when the fuselage of the ship hit the dirt, kicking up sand it a large torrent as we began to skip across its surface. The crew and I were thrown around the ship, hitting just about every possible object inside. Sparks began to fly inside of the hull and soon tears began to form on its side. Not long after I noticed this, the glass began to break on the portholes and soon, they did. When they cracked open, the entire plane ripped itself apart, with us all being jettisoned out. I barely knew what hit me before I landed face first in the sand. I began to roll down the dune, trying my best to stop as the sound of the crash got more and more distant from me.

When I finally got to a stop, I screamed. Not because I was hurt, or because I was stranded on a desolate world - but because I was practically on the hellhole of Tatooine again. I tried so hard getting away from that place, and when I finally did, I ended up on a planet just like it not even a month later.

I stood up and looked around, a few pieces from our ship scattering the ground. I began to climb the dune, and when I got to the top, I could see the smoke from the wreck not too far away. I decided to start making my way towards it and hope I wasn't the only survivor. I walked on and on, for what seemed like forever. The white armor I had on luckily didn't attract the heat from the sun, but the black clothes I wore under it definitely did. I felt myself begin to tire and slow as I dragged on towards the crash, eventually taking my helmet off to breathe better.

I finally got up to a dune and saw the ship on the other side of it. And, to my surprise and relief, it had crashed into a small town. I looked upon it as if it were my salvation, mainly because it was. If we had no way off this planet, then we'd be dead, simple as that. The Empire wouldn't wast time to save a couple grunts after an entire lunar base just exploded. But now, we had a chance to live.

As I began to walk towards the outpost, I began to imagine us when we got back. If we were even allowed to stay in the Imperial military, we'd all probably get stripped of our rank and returned as cadets for going AWOL. I prayed that wouldn't be so - I had put so many years into this already, and if I had to restart, I'd probably just end up being a smuggler or bounty hunter. There was no point in restarting in such an unfair military. Hell, now the Empire couldn't keep anyone safe. If the rebels had enough destructive power to blow up an entire lunar base, they could strike anywhere, at any time. Not to mention the battle of Scariff clearly showed they were willing to risk it all for a raid.

I entered the town and almost instantly felt all of the eyes looking upon me. Each and every person in this place was staring me down, and I realized why - this planet probably didn't have any Imperial garrison here. There'd be no point by the look of it - just a big desert. At least Tatooine was a large trading and transport planet, while this place almost seemed to be a ghost town just on its own. Maybe this was the only outpost on the entire planet.

I looked over at the crash and soon found myself scoping it out. I put my helmet back on as I searched for anyone inside. I couldn't see anyone remotely close to the crash (Which had landed on some poor man's market stall). Bad news, all of my men were missing. Good news, I hadn't found any of them dead yet, so that was a good start. I turned, and looked a human man in the eye. Stepping up to him, I asked, "What planet am I on?" With a tinge of annoyance.

"Why, sir," He replied. "You're on Jakku."


	14. Survival

I sighed heavily, not seeming to recall the planet. Jakku sounded exactly as it looked; a backwater, desolate place of heat, death and a sense of disparity. It almost seemed like the universe was trying to mess with me. I had finally managed to get off of a desert rock, and after a few short weeks, I ended right back up on one. I swore that something in the galaxy wanted me to be in a desert. _The force needs me here,_ I joked in my mind. When I was a kid, my father would always tell me about a group of sword-wielding 'Jedi' who were guardians of all things good, fair and just. I always enjoyed his tales, even if they were fake. I mean, some old guys waving glow sticks around and moving objects doesn't seem like a very intimidating force.

Enough about those fictional guru's. I looked around at the dunes of sand, the small sandstone shacks, the market stalls and the heap of metal lumped into the side of one of the buildings. It was still smoldering, with the smoke rising up to the sky. Hopefully, if they were still alive, my team could find their way here. The smoke should definitely help them find the right direction.

I sighed heavily and attempted to rub out the dust on my helmet's eyes. All I could see were faint shapes and clumps of dirt. But, when I finally got them cleaned, I realized I wasn't necessarily wanted here. I looked around at all the different faces, the different species, the different cultures all assimilating into one thought - I was an Imperial Stormtrooper, and this outpost probably hated the Empire. I tried aiming my blaster to keep them at bay, but to my dismay, it was gone. I sighed even more heavily as I began to back up. "Horatio? Marion? Pollix?" I asked into my comm, hoping someone would answer me. The crowd that was growing in numbers were beginning to close the distance on me. I was a lone Stormtrooper in the middle of a barren wasteland, with my only way off-planet destroyed. The way I saw it, they wanted to take turns at me with a sharp object a couple times each.

A sudden radical surged forward towards me, and I went into defensive mode. The man threw a punch in my direction, but I managed to get my head out of his reach, his swing bringing him momentarily out of a way to defend himself. I used this momentum he had to push against him, knocking him to the ground. Another scavenger jumped onto my back, and the crowd began to submerge me. I fought them off as best as I could, taking out a good three or four with bleeding faces until they finally got me down and began to strip away my armor, piece my piece. First my helmet went, then my cuffs, then my chest piece. I damn near thought they were going to rip my arms off next before a blaster bolt tore through a man's chest, the crowd stopping in shock.

I had been beaten senseless during the attack, so I couldn't tell who had shot, but I knew whoever it was probably saved my life. Nothing else could stop a group of savages like a blaster could. Especially one in the right hands. The crowd began to disperse from the decrepit place I lay, the only one not leaving was the man who was shot, a perfectly round, smoldering hole in his abdomen.

I tried lifting my head up, but the intense heat had made me wary. I felt like going to sleep, like I could just close my eyes and get away from this place of madness. And that's when the sunlight through my eyelids was blocked. "Get up, old man." Pollix's voice chimed through my comm. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at the disheveled kid standing in front of me. Sure, I wasn't an old man, and he sure as hell wasn't a kid, but it was something we got used to calling each other.

"I thought I was the only one to survive that crash." I said with a sigh of relief. Pollix extended a hand out towards me, and I shakily took it. When I got to my feet, he began to help me secure my gear the scavengers had dropped. The only recoverable pieces were my chest piece, bracers and my leg pieces. The rest had been taken off back towards the town and probably already stripped for the materials. I looked around at the isolation of this planet, and prayed I'd leave this one alive. I wasn't sure if I had many years of exploring left in me, and this planet hopping I've been doing hasn't helped my aging. "Do you have any idea where the others are?" I asked.

"No, I thought they'd be with you." We took another scan of the surrounding area, before Pollix spoke again. "We should probably get moving. Those rioters will probably be back soon, with weapons ready." He hit my shoulder lightly. "Up for a little recon?"

"Like hell I am." I said as I finished strapping on my armor. The two of us began to make our way towards the larger set of dunes in the distance, maybe a half mile away. I sure hoped someone would be able to rescue us soon. I wasn't cut out for this surviving business. If anything, I was good at holding positions with a blaster in tight corridors. Not protecting myself against the only living things on this planet in the open, hot air.

"Up there," Pollix pointed to a small arrangement of rocks in the distance, up the dunes a bit. "We can hide from the sun between them." I nodded in agreement and we positioned ourselves to get as much of the shade as possible. Of course, this only covered my head and chest, my arms and legs were still out in the hot sun . I'd probably already have a dark tan by now if I didn't have my armor on. Pollix and I began to talk about the things we had seen in the past few weeks. The escape of rebels from Mos Eisley, the death of Eekeb Khaar, our formal leader. Then the DS-01 Orbital Battle Station came up. We had no clue what to say even.

"All those people we met, all the innocent officers and soldiers just doing their jobs." Pollix said, almost seeming to be mourning over close friends. "I still can't believe it. I won't believe it. We had to have been imagining it." He turned to face me. "Right, Heskill?" Under normal circumstances, I would have scolded him for using my name. One of the first things they taught you during training was to call your commanding officer by their rank, not their name outside of a base or outpost. But right now, the only thing I cared about was getting some water.

"I don't know, Pollix. We'll figure that out when we get back to proper civilization. Does your helmet's communicator still work?" He responded with a nod of his head. "Will the beacon ping our location?" I asked, which once again was confirmed by a nod of his head.

"All we need to do is wait for the nearest Imperial ship to get us and we'll be home free." I sighed softly and looked up at the sky. It was sometimes hard to believe that an entire galaxy worth of people was out there, just barely invisible beyond the planet's atmosphere. Trillions of humans alone were exploring the stars, fighting and dying for their own causes, making history and erasing it. It was mind boggling to think that each and every person out there had their own story, their own lives and relationships.

Well, either way, no one else's lives mattered right now. Just me, Pollix, and the rest of my squad.


	15. Bounty

Soon enough, Pollix and I had found our way to Sebastian and Marion, both attempting to take shade under a single, thin piece of fuselage from our crashed ship. Part of me was glad to see them alive, but another part made me wish they had died on impact - being wounded all the way back on the DS-01 Orbital Battle Station was already a lot to go through and survive - now they had survived a crash onto a scorching hot planet with no evacuation plan in sight. Marion was the worst by far, he wasn't even awake, he'd been knocked out ever since the impact hours ago. Together, Pollix and I searched around for Horatio, who never turned up. Our missing soldier was more than enough to bring down everyone's spirits, not to include the fact that the entire planet wanted us dead. The inhabitants were very anti-Imperialistic, which, when stacked on with all the other odds against us, made for an unfavorable situation.

If Sebastian had been in a state to search for Horatio himself, he would scour the desert for days to look for his brother. Luckily, he was pretty badly hurt himself, and was in no place to do anything more than rest. The rest of our time on the planet was dull, boring, and hot - much like Tatooine, but at least then I could escape into the mud huts to get away from the burning sun. Horatio and I had been rather close, especially recently, and it pained me to think of where he could be. If Pollix and I had run into resistance together, armed, I was sure Horatio would be having to survive through much worse. Unfortunately, it wasn't drilled into our heads during the training academy to save your lost - in fact, it was rather frowned upon to waste time saving those who were unsavable. It was best, in the Empire's eyes, to live to fight another day. Either way, I knew out of all of us, Horatio was the toughest one to kill, and he'd be able to survive longer than the rest of us on his own. I made a vow to come back as soon as I could and find Horatio, or whatever was left of him. But for now, the Empire was missing over five hundred thousand other soldiers. Horatio would understand that our resources needed to be spent on the bigger picture.

It had been weeks after the initial crash before we had been lucky enough to hop onto a shuttle leaving for a small settlement on Takodana. It was a lush, moderate planet in the western reaches of the galaxy. It reminded me a lot of Hosnian Prime, my home world - which obviously didn't sit right with me. I had missed the quiet mornings and relaxing afternoons of the wonderfully peaceful region, outside of city limits. There were tons of large cities that scaled the entire planet, but there was still plenty of places to live comfortably without being confined to the skyscrapers and ships - the countryside was a great memory of mine. However, this was not Hosnian Prime.

Takodana, at least from orbit and the general location in which we landed, was as serene as it could get. We had been transported to a stone castle overlooking a lake in a large expanse of rolling hills and larger mountains, all covered with trees and other livery. When I had asked, the pilot had stated the place was owned by an old lady who had been running the place longer than most people had been alive. I didn't believe this, of course, because at the time I thought she was human.

Pollix and I were the only ones stable enough to go inside. It was less of a castle and more of a very large and fortified cantina. Outside, you'd never expect me to find a way to relate it to Mos Eisley due to its stark contrast in landscape - but inside, it was almost like an exact replica. More species than anyone could count, catchy music in the background, bar fights and brawls, I felt like I was right back where I belonged, only without my armor. Pollix and I decided it'd be best to ditch the white Stormtrooper gear, since we weren't sure if anyone would take too unkindly to seeing Imperial law enforcers in their free cantina. I dawned a spare bomber jacket that our civilian pilot had lying around, while Pollix was using his plain black long sleeve shirt that was worn under our armor normally.

"Keep your guard up." I say as we look around. We weren't even sure what we were looking for - we just needed a ride to the nearest Imperial outpost, then from there, the Empire could decide what it wanted to do with us. For now, as long as we got Sebastian and Marion the help they needed, I'd be content. Pollix and I stood with one another the entire time we were in the cantina, not wanting to get split up or lost in this place. We knew the kind of horrors that happened in these bars, and as long as we were with one another, there'd be half as likely of a chance of one of us getting attacked or kidnapped.

"Just ask around for a ship old man." Pollix joked, knowing I was rather... insecure of my age. It wasn't like the way a teenager is insecure about how their bodies looked - I was afraid that my graying hair would make others think I was weaker than I am - which would cause trouble. There's the added terror that the Empire saw no need in normal soldiers with prolonged life, meaning if I didn't die or get discharged from service, I'd be sent on a suicide mission sooner or later.

"Excuse me," I say a few moments later, ignoring Pollix's comment from earlier. I spoke to a rather burly alien, I believe he was known as a trandoshan. He wore a set of pilot coveralls, which was the one thing I needed to see. He seemed to be a pilot, and was surrounded by a table full of drunk aliens who could very likely be his crew. "Am I right to assume you might be a pilot? And if so, may I offer you credits in exchanged for transport?" Of course, I didn't have any credits, but I figured Pollix could work his inner-city magic and get ourselves a hefty set of currency from the pockets of others. Before I turned to look at Pollix for help, however, he was already busy using his skillful slight of hand to rob poor bastards of their drinking money.

The trandoshan looked me up and down, a hint of a smile plastering his face. "Welcome human, I believe I heard my favorite word being passed around." The trandoshan took a long drink before replying. "A good amount of credits could convince me to carry you to your destination, depending on the place and crew I'm taking in." He said, before offering his hand to shake, more so to show his good intentions and human respect. "I am Bossk. Professional bounty hunter - and now, taxi driver."


	16. The Executor

It turns out, much to Pollix, Sebastian, Marion and I's surprise that we had been missing in action for well over the time we thought it was. It had been more than just a few months - almost a year in total! We had probably spent more time on Jakku than we had on most other planets when stationed - but hell, we weren't even stationed, we were marooned on a lifeless planet full of people trying to kill us. Luckily, once the heat died down on us a bit, Pollix and I were able to get what we needed from bartering and stealing - not everyone was so eager to give up their precious water in an endless desert, so we needed to improvise.

Bossk ended up being a very reliable ally - more reliable than I had imagined. Once we gave him a portion of the money, and promised the rest when we got to the destination, he was more than happy to take us aboard his ship. It turns out he was on his way to an Imperial site as well - a star ship known as the Executor - a ship unimaginable on scale. Sure, the death star was without a doubt the largest thing created in history, but it wasn't really a ship - it was called a battle station for a reason. It wasn't meant to move a whole lot. But the Executor was ready to jump into orbit and blast rebels from afar in the blink of an eye. It was exactly what the Empire needed after such a devastating blow.

Bossk was planning on meeting up with some high ranking officer of the Empire, which was good news for us - it meant we'd finally get some real orders for once. They'd hear of our survival story and learn that we were a much more resilient squad than even we imagined. Pollix and the rest of our small gang resided in the cargo space of Bossk's ship, unable to do much but sit around and talk for the trip to the Executor.

"Do you think we'll be able to get reassigned, still as a full squad?" Pollix asked idly. "Now that we're down a member, and in pretty bad shape, we might get paired with new troopers, or get split up entirely. I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of idiots - I want to be stuck with a bunch of idiots that I know." Pollix always had a rather odd way with words, mostly because he tried keeping morale up while staying focused, but it usually worked on us, to give us that one extra little push we all needed.

"I'm not sure, it all depends on what the Empire plans on doing after the Battle Station was destroyed. Even then, the Empire could be totally disbanded by this point, and could just be a bunch of splinter groups made from the remnant of the Empire." I wasn't always a downer like this, but it was hard to get by the cold truth of such a devastating attack - we might all just end up becoming citizens after this, or join whatever new organization the rebellion decided was right for the galaxy.

"Either way, I've got no one left to go home to. I wouldn't mind being smugglers with the lot of you." Marion spoke up, much better than he had been before on Jakku. He was beginning to recover nicely, although still in an unstable condition. Hopefully he'd be able to get a bacta tank to progress his healing even faster and get him, as well as Sebastian, up and ready to continue the fight against the ones who got so many Imperials killed.

Bossk and his crew had gotten us to the Executor in record time. I would even say it was the fastest ship i'd ever been on, although it was a grimy and disgusting excuse for a ship. We got off with Bossk, who seemed rather intent on collecting that money we owed him the second we got off. But, as soon as we did, he was whisked away by a slew of Imperial officers vying for his attention, while my gang and I went in the opposite direction before we could pay. It's not our fault he never asked for our names - guess he wouldn't get those 10,000 credits he was promised. At least, not from us anyway.

After such an eventful time, the time on Tatooine chasing that smuggler and young boy, to our time on the death star, as well as the survival on Jakku, it was rather dull from that point on. We were allowed to stay as a squad once reassigned, and since there wasn't much place to go now that the Battle Station was destroyed, we were tasked with staying on the Executor until new orders could be given. The time passed by quietly, almost no sign of the rebels, at least from our ship, in the months that followed. We lived just as we would have on the Death Star, the same schedule and the same food, routine, and life that just seemed to drag on. Being a Stormtrooper meant standing still in one spot, and standing a little bit taller when an officer passed by.

I had only aged more with my time on the Executor, with Pollix and Marion getting a bit more hardened in their aging as well. Still, it was only two years, but the boys had grown somewhat into men, which is exactly how the process of being a Stormtrooper goes. Pollix and Marion both stood taller than I did now, with Sebastian not growing too much. I was the oldest, but Sebass was well out of the growing age and more into the grumpy, old-Stormtrooper years. Since most of us didn't live to be that old, late thirties - early forties were definitely the later years for us before we were killed in a skirmish or sent onto a suicide mission.

When I had woken up this morning, however, I wasn't prepared for the scuttle going on throughout the ship - I was to report to the bridge with my team, as soon as possible - we were about to make a jump to Hoth, to put an end to a newly found Rebel base.


End file.
